


I've Got You, Brother

by KaoticLoki



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: ALL THE FLUFF, Brotherly Love, Childhood Memories, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt Loki (Marvel), Hurt Thor (Marvel), Hurt/Comfort, Loki wants to be good, Protective Loki (Marvel), Protective Thor (Marvel), Redemption, why do I do this to myself?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-23 13:23:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14333346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaoticLoki/pseuds/KaoticLoki
Summary: Though we don't share the same bloodYou're my brother and I love you, that's the truth





	I've Got You, Brother

**Author's Note:**

> I saw a video created by YouTube user LisaWinchester which you can see here:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhKw0rRn6WI&sns=fb
> 
> And I, of course, HAD to write something cause...well.. Thor and Loki.

The ship that cast such a large shadow over the Statesman was unknown to Thor, but no less intimidating. Good eye narrowing, he turned to his brother, who continued to stare out with an expression the thunderer had rarely seen on the other man’s face.

 

Loki was terrified.

 

There was a slight tremble to his frame as Thor reached for him, the threat looming just outside momentarily forgotten. “Loki, what in the Nine-” The younger flinched away, horrified expression melting into one of turmoil, of guilt.

 

“I brought this upon us.”

 

* * *

  
  


_ “I didn’t mean for this to happen.” Loki sat the foot of the bed with his legs drawn into his chest, face buried in his folded arms. Thor watched the smoke billow into the sky from just inside the balcony doors. “I brought this upon us!” _

 

_ “Cease that talk, Loki.” Barely considered teenagers by Aesir time, the brothers were placed in the eldest’s chambers for their safety, much to Thor’s dismay. He’d much rather be out in the fray, defending their realm as he was being taught.  “You’ve always managed to bring about some sort of chaos without thought or intention. It’s why father dubbed you Prince of Mischief. I’m sure today will ensure your godly title. Nothing more.” _

 

_ “Why are you never angry with me?” The trickster raised his head, brow drawn, tear tracks evident on his cheeks. _

 

_ “I’m angry with you plenty.” Thor motioned for the younger to move over and waited until he obeyed before climbing up to sit shoulder to shoulder, knee to knee on the mattress. “It doesn’t mean I love you any less.” Loki nodded and allowed Thor to pull him into his side. “Stop worrying. Father will make it right.” Another nod, even less perceptible than the first. Thor tightened his hold. “I’ve got you, brother.” _

 

* * *

  
  


“Loki, you fool! Run!” 

 

His skull throbbed beneath the large fingertips digging into his scalp and, though his vision swam in and out of focus, he’d know that gait anywhere. Loki’s cape flared behind him as he stepped over the bodies of the fallen, progressing further in spite of Thor’s bellowed warning.

 

“My lord,” Loki began, coming to a halt with palms raised in surrender (or as a declaration of being unarmed) when the Black Order spilled in from all sides to surround him. Thanos lifted Thor a bit higher, his feet barely touching the ground. Loki’s gut twisted a bit more, but his schooled mask remained in place. “I have what you seek.”

 

“You knew it would call to me, godling.” The titan hissed. 

 

“I did.” Loki admitted. ‘ _ I thought I had more time’  _ was left unsaid. The trickster had planned on using the infinity stone to take him away from the remainder of his people ( _ his _ people… how amusing) once they had drawn nearer to earth. He had wanted to ensure their safety before fleeing. He wanted to ensure  _ Thor’s _ safety. Yet, he had once again underestimated Thanos...and he had doomed them all.  _ ‘I was never meant to be good, Thor. Forgive me.’ _

 

“Loki, what...don’t do it…” All Thor could see was blue. A blue glow illuminating his blurry vision on all sides, blocking out any view of his brother. He felt himself dropped, greeted by the cold metal of the floor. “Loki…”

 

And then he was there, leaning over him just as Thor had back in Svartalfheim, cradling the thunderer. “Thor, there isn’t much time.” 

 

“Say your goodbyes, trickster. Consider this a measure of mercy you don’t deserve.”

 

Thor felt his brother tense, could see the shining of unshed tears in his eyes. “Loki, we can-”

 

“I’m going to make sure you survive this. Get to earth and warn them, if you must. Then flee and never stop.”

 

“Loki, don’t-”

 

“Time is up!”

 

Loki was being torn away and Thor was left to fall to the floor, grasping at his brother’s bracer. Loki smiled sadly and nodded as Thor’s weak grip gave way.  _ ‘You  _ will  _ survive this. I’ve got you, brother.’ _

 

* * *

 

_ “Hang on, you giant imbecile.” Loki grunted under his brother’s weight, the elder barely able to stay upright, much less put one foot in front of the other. “Will you ever listen to me when I say something is a bad idea?”  _

 

_ “Probably...not…”  _

 

_ “Taunting trolls is a bad idea no matter who warns it, Thor!” The younger prince stopped and lowered them both to the ground. He needed a moment to catch his breath. While Thor had taken the brunt of the attacks, Loki had not walked away unscathed. “I just need...a moment.” He patted Thor’s shoulder, scowling when it became apparent the older had lost consciousness. “Damnit, Thor!” Loki stood and began to pace. Why him? Why had Thor chosen  _ him _ of all the warriors to accompany him on this pointless quest? The Warriors Three or even Sif, though she was still new to her training, would have been of more value. Loki was only a mage with limited dagger skills.  _

 

_ He stilled and cast a worried glance. Mother had just begun teaching him teleportation spells. They were not easy and required a command of magic he had not yet achieved.  _

 

_ He knelt in front of Thor and reached for his shoulders, tendrils of shimmering green surrounding them, spitting and licking at the air in an uncoordinated explosion. “You will survive this! I’ve got you, brother!” _

 

* * *

  
  


He could feel the remnants of Loki’s magic falling away as hands began to pull at him, dragging him away from the coldness of space and the debris that was all that remained of Asgard. 

 

“Who is he?”

 

“I am Groot.”

 

“Where the hell did he come from?”

 

He listened to their voices, but could not be arsed to care. All he could see was his brother being torn away, a spell forming on his lips, the green flicker of magic on his fingertips. Then the explosion. The screams. The safety of Loki’s magic shielding him from the disaster. 

 

But Loki was gone now. 

 

The explanation had been brief. It had been rushed, but it had been enough. The invasion of Midgard was not of Loki’s own will. He had been influenced, tortured. And now he had willingly handed himself back over to that beast in order to give Thor a chance to live. 

 

“Wake him up.”

 

A gentle touch to his forehead lead to the intensifying of the memories and emotions he had already been replaying in his subconscious. He didn’t remember getting to his feet but somehow he was standing, staring into the back of an unfamiliar ship with a mix of nervous shuffling and breathing at his back. He turned, with little hesitance, and studied his saviors. No, Loki had been his savior. 

 

“Who the hell are you guys?”

 

* * *

  
  


_ “You realize he got himself into this mess?” _

 

_ “He is my brother, Volstagg, and I will not leave him to suffer. It matters not what Father has commanded.” Thor dismounted his steed and smack the horse’s hip to send it to the nearby fields to feed while they were away. He began to ensure his weapons and minimal supplies where secure on his person as Sif mimicked his actions.  _

 

_ “Fafnir is no small enemy, Thor, and Loki was unwise to attempt trickery on such a being.” She strolled up to his side and waited for the Warriors Three to do the same. “Perhaps we should allow him some time with the creature to ensure he does not attempt this a second time.” Thor gave her an astonished glare. _

 

_ “Surely you jest, Lady Sif, to suggest that I would leave my brother to torture for his, aye, misdeeds, but he meant no harm. I won’t hear of it again.” _

 

_ “Yes, my prince.” She bowed, knowing she had overstepped one of her few boundaries.  _

 

_ “Now that we’ve prepared, shall we go collect my brother?” _

 

* * *

  
  


“So, everyone knows what they’re supposed to do?” The Midgardian who called himself Starlord asked, ensuring his blasters were secured to his belt. Thor nodded quietly but never removed his eye from the ship hovering in the distance. The ship’s shields kept it off the radar as long as they maintained a certain distance, according to the rodent called Rocket. 

 

“Loki is on that ship.” Thor stated quietly. “I can feel it.”

 

“Look, man, I feel for you, I do, but he’s likely…” 

 

“Peter.” Gamora snapped, glaring down her comrade as she approached Thor. “What he means is just...be prepared.” Thor nodded minutely before she continued. “I do not think Thanos is on his ship, but it will not be unguarded. If your brother is there, he will not be alone.”

 

“Understood.” Thor stood, cracking the bones in his neck and rolling some of the tension from his shoulders. “Shall we go collect my brother?”

 

* * *

  
  


_ “Get him to safety, Thor! We’ll handle Fafnir!” Fandral tossed the prince a sword and ran back toward the battle. The dwarf king’s son had transformed into a dragon to protect his ‘treasure,’ which happened to be in the form of a certain trickster prince. Once Volstagg had distracted the beast enough to leave where it was protectively hovering over Loki, Thor had made his move, cradling his brother against his chest and ran as fast as his legs would allow until he was outside of the cave.  _

 

_ The Warriors Three and Sif would remain, buying Thor time to get Loki to safety. As Thor ran, the younger never stirred in his arms. He only appeared to have sustained minor injuries, but was cold and pale. Worry ebbed away at Thor’s heart.  _

 

_ “Th...Thor?” Loki finally inhaled deeply, but did not open his eyes. _

 

_ Thor smiled and pulled him closer. “Rest easy. I’ve got you, brother.” _

 

* * *

  
  


Thor had found the holding cells easily. He just followed the tortured screams and the smell of blood and sickness. Gamora had been corrected, the dungeons were heavily guarded but he, Gamora, and Quill only needed to wait until Rocket, Drax, and Groot had initiated the distraction that would call most of the guards away.

 

_ Self destruct activated. Ship will self destruct in 4 minutes and 56 seconds. _

 

There it was. The three pressed their backs against the wall and waited for the scrambling Chitauri soldiers to sprint by before the spilled out into the hall, searching not only for Loki, but  _ any  _ survivors. Most of the prisoners were dead or dying, not doing much in the way of optimism for Thor. He was beginning to give up hope when he finally spotted his brother in the next to last cell. 

 

He was lying on the floor tipped on his side with his back facing the door. Blood was smeared over the walls and even on the glass that allowed the view inside. His hair was damp with sweat and gore, sticking to his clothing and neck. It was difficult to survey the damage from where he stood, but Thor could not see any movement that indicated breathing. 

 

“Oh, Loki, no.” He whispered, calling on his lightning to fry the lock on the door. When the shield across the glass sputtered out, Thor slid the door open and rushed inside. “He’s here!” He called back to the Guardians, sliding to his knees to turn his brother onto his back. “Loki. Loki, answer me.” His face was pale and littered with cuts and bruises in different stages of healing. Wounds make with a blade of some sort were scattered across the trickster’s midsection, some could only have been made in the past few hours. He had obviously been starved and burned. And he had endured this so that Thor could  _ live _ . 

 

“Time to go, Sparky.” Peter said from the doorway. 

 

Thor gently lifted Loki and cradled him to his chest. It had been easier when they were younger, but even now, his tall, lanky little brother was a light burden to bear. 

 

“Is he...alive?” Gamora inquired as Thor turned sideways to maneuver out the cell door. 

 

“He is.” He answered quietly, tightening his hold. “Barely, but he lives. We must hurry.” 

 

Peter nodded and turned to sprint down the hall with Thor on his heels and Gamora bringing up the rear. “Mantis, we’re coming back! Drax, Rocket, we’ve got the package! Everyone out!” 

 

_ The ship will self destruct in 2 minutes and 58 seconds. _

 

Thor could see the exit just ahead. They should have plenty of time to leave Thanos’ ship and maneuver to a safe distance before the explosion. 

 

“Thor?”

 

He almost didn’t hear it with all the commotion, but the stirring in his arms confirmed it. “Hush, Loki. All will be well!” He bounded onto the Guardian’s ship only taking seconds to perform a quick head count before moving forward to get Loki somewhere to rest.

 

“Why….why are you here, y-you idiot?”

 

“You’re a bigger fool than I thought if you assumed I would leave you in the hands of that monster.” 

 

“You...were s-supposed to-”

 

Thor rolled his eye as he entered the sleeping chambers of the ship, carefully depositing his armful of little brother onto the bunk that had been his own. Loki arched and bit back a cry from the movement, gentle as it was. “Sssssh,” Thor soothed as the ship rattled from the explosion in the distance, “the titan will never touch you again. Rest easy. I’ve got you, brother.”

 


End file.
